Posts by Bethany Wilkes
Influence of being together
This is a simple picture, but I love it. A family, holding hands, TOGETHER. There is a reason storks don’t just drop babies off in the middle of nowhere to fend for themselves. (Disclaimer: there is a bigger reason that storks don’t drop off babies at all, but for purpose of this paragraph, we will use that picture… and for those of you who think that is actually where babies come from, you may want to do a little research on your own… :)) But getting back to my point. When babies are born, they were created to be taken care of. Hopefully, they are born into a family. And if not, we hope they are placed in a family or having a loving father or mother that will care for them. We were created to be in relationship, in community, TOGETHER. The structure of a family is a picture of togetherness. (Now not all families act in this way, but there is a reason family is a unit. It is supposed to act together). Parents have a role in caring for children, and bringing them up into a world as a unique individual, but still as a part of the family. We were not meant to figure it all out on our own. We were not meant to be alone. When a baby is born, he or she needs to be fed, changed, nurtured, taught, disciplined, and loved. There is a process of growing and developing that parents have the privilege of walking with their child and cultivating the person they are becoming. There are many many lessons learned along the way from both sides, as parents, and children. But through it all, we learn TOGETHER.
But here’s the problem: We live in this individualistic culture that preaches that …
Read MoreSpring Cleaning… it’s here!
Happy Spring! There are so many things I absolutely love about Spring. Fresh air, flowers, green grass, sweet aromas, and new life. But I have to admit, spring cleaning is not my best feature. But, I do love when things are clean. It feels organized, free, clear, and refreshing. So I love the end result, I just get stuck in the process of getting there. So, I have decided to do a little research and blog about spring cleaning tactics, ideas, and hints to try to motivate me to get some cleaning done. In researching, I found lots of information and some great websites with cleaning supplies, printables, checklists. So here are some thoughts, followed by the checklists and websites.
My Overall Tips:
Strategy: Have a plan as you go into it. Room by room? Task by task? Priorities first?
Set it all out: Make sure you have all cleaning supplies, rags, and everything ready.
Delegate: Don’t feel like you have to do everything. Divvy up the jobs.
Use Time Well: Work for a specific amount of time. And take breaks. If you feel overwhelmed, start small. Do different jobs on different days.
Make it Fun: Add incentives and rewards for those family members who help.
Main Cleaning Verbs:
Wash: laundry, sheets, makeup brushes, pillow covers
Dust: blinds, decor, furniture
Clean: windows, mirrors, sink, toilets, showers, oven, car
Wipe down: appliances
Polish: any silver, pots or pans
Organize: organize papers, decor, books, pantry, refrigerator
Vaccuum: carpet, car
Mop: floors
Sort: Use four bins 1.Thrift or Sell, 2.Find Home, 3.Storage, 4.Throw out
Flip: mattresses
Throw out: all expired food and medicines
Clear: Clutter
Clean out: Closet- Take to thrift store, consignment shop, or sell on Ebay. A fun thing to do would be to host a clothes swap party. Out …
A new “arrival”
There are all these milestones in life that have this stigma of “once I get there, my life will be complete”. “Once I turn whatever age, I will have it all figured out.” “Once I get my license I will be free” “Once I finish school, I will have more time” “Once I can fit into this size, I will feel good” “Once I get married, life will be perfect” and the list goes on and on and on. I am sure you can think of a few times in life where you have felt that way.
What I have realized, we will never “arrive” as the world puts it. Life is never complete. We will never be finished growing, changing, learning, adapting, and developing. Some of you may think this is very disappointing. You may have been waiting for that promotion, or that location change, or that next vacation time to reach euphoria. But let me let you in on a little secret, once you get there, it will be something else. The success of this world is just this never ending mirage of making you feel fulfilled. You will still be empty. It is great when you are blessed by something like a house. But once you have the house, there is the pet, or the boat, or the remodeling… That is just the impression the world puts out there. So there’s this push to arrive at some place. And once you get there, there is no satisfaction, just wanting more. It’s a rough road down that path.
But you don’t have to feel like this. There is more to life. There is more to who you are. It is not about what you do or what you have. It is about who you are. But I have …
Read MoreThe Circus Act
Do you sometimes feel like your life is part of a circus? Are you a part of the juggling act just trying to keep all the moving parts flowing? Are you just one second away from one ball dropping? If one ball drops will all of them drop?
Do you feel like I just described one of your days? If I did, that’s okay. You are just like the rest of us. Usually we have too much on our plates, we are afraid to take something off, and we are just trying to figure out how to keep everything afloat. But many of us put ourselves there. Do we really have to juggle all those things? Are they really in our control, or do we just think they are, so then we stress even more about them?
Some things to help you take control of your circus act:
1. Write down your big priorities in order of how you want them (God, family, works, social, sports)
2. Write down the same priorities in how you think they play out in your life.
3. Write down your schedule for the week and see where you spend your time.
4. Schedule an hour to take some down time for yourself.
5. Don’t be too busy for kids, co workers, friends, family, etc.
6. Put down your phone. Facebook and instagram aren’t going anywhere.
7. Be real with where you are at. Emotions are okay. But how do you respond and bounce back.
8. Put control in its proper place.
9. Choose your things. Try to take one non priority off your schedule, if it allows.
10. Talk through schedule, lifestyle, plan with your spouse, family, kids.
Values:
- Be intentional about how you spend your time.
- Strive for a manageable lifestyle, you don’t
What is Home? My top 10 things that make me feel home
What do you think of when you hear the word home? Your house? Your address number? Where you grew up? Where you live now? Are these your first thoughts… or does the word home strike a chord deep in your heart?… I picture sipping tea cuddled on a couch playing a game. I picture drinking lemonade on a porch catching up with old friends. I picture being surrounded by people I love. I picture laughing so hard it hurts. I picture feeling so free I can fly. But my soul yearns for the deeper feelings of love, peace, acceptance. When I think of Home, I think of what makes me feel warm inside my soul, welcomed and appreciated, at peace in the moment, loved right where I am, and known to the core of my being. For the past year and a half I have been trying to make a new home. Not a new house… A house is just the roof over your head. But what goes beyond that. What is at the core of HOME? Where do you find your significance? Who do you surround yourself with? We all probably have a few different ideas of what makes home… but here’s a few I came up with.
1. To be known and loved: We all want people to know us. So often I try to put on the facade of the person that I want people to know. But it is in those deeper moments where people know the real me and still love me that I really feel at Home. Who knows you? Think about that relationship.
2. Safety and Security: Feeling safe is a big deal for people. But more than just circumstantially or physically safe. I want to be emotionally safe and secure. It reinforces …
Read MoreOne in Spirit and Purpose
I have always loved the book of the Bible, Philippians. But lately, I have been on an even bigger Philippians kick trying to read and absorb the encouragement that Paul shares in this book. I don’t want to just read it, I want to live it.
Look at this verse:
Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
The chapter starts out right where we all need to begin. We need to be one with Christ, unified in our heart, our soul, our mind… in every part of who we are. Christ is the foundation, the cornerstone, the rock, the EVERYTHING. So in our unity with him, we have encouragement, purpose, and inspiration. Next it moves to what God is all about. His love. His love is powerful, strong, and passionate. It brings comfort through the security in being loved by our Father. When we share in the love of the Lord, we share in the experience. We share in the outpouring of tenderness and compassion through the bearing of the fruit of the Spirit. Through life with Christ, our joy becomes complete. We live for a greater purpose than just ourselves. The joy we have in that goes so far beyond the “happiness” of the world. So in experiencing the pure joy we gain a different perspective about the purpose of life. Christ lives …
Read MoreChicken White Bean Tomato Casserole
Chicken White Bean Tomato Casserole
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 chicken breasts(about 2-1/4 pounds total)
2 Tbsp lemon pepper
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Great Northern beans
1 14 1/2 – ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
6 ounces light, cooked smoked sausage, cut into bite-size pieces (optional)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat oil over
medium-high heat. Add chicken; season with lemon pepper, and reduce heat to medium-low. Brown chicken about 10 minutes, turning once to brown both sides. Remove chicken from skillet, but leave drippings.
2. Add carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to drippings in skillet. Cover
and cook about 10 minutes or until vegetables are just tender, stirring
occasionally. Stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, sausage (optional),
thyme, oregano, salt, and, if desired, cayenne pepper. Bring to boiling.
Transfer mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange chicken
on top. Try to put some of liquid mixture on top of chicken to keep chicken moist.
3. Bake, uncovered, about 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink
(180 degrees F). Makes about 6 servings
4. Enjoy
…
Free, Filled, and Flowing
As Valentines Day quickly approaches, I cannot help but think of the legendary LOVE verse found in 1 Corinthians 13. For those of you that do not know it, it reads, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But …
Read MorePressing on
Do you ever feel like something is holding you back from you being the person you want to be? Are you trying to push through something and feel like you are getting nowhere? Are you not reaching your goals and getting discouraged along the way? I know I often feel like this. Life is hard. Situations are rough. Sometimes its hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I believe in a God who loves me right where I am. I believe in a God who is always with me. I believe in a God who has a plan bigger than me. I believe in a God who can transform me to become more like Him. I believe in a God that has Purpose, Power, and Perseverance. The one thing I have to do, LET HIM DO HIS WORK IN MY LIFE. Check this verse out…
Philippians 3:12-14 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
So let’s break it down. Living with Christ is a journey. We have aspirations. We have desires. We are going somewhere. And we have to look to the Lord for what he desires for us. Christ has a plan. He has a purpose for us. We have to choose to live our life with him. But we have not arrived. We have not reached our goals. …
Read MoreCircle of Family
All the family is gone, decorations have been put away, and festivities are over (Well except for football and the Olympics… those always seem to play a huge role in our society, but anyways… the actual “holiday season” is over). Life has hopefully slowed down a tiny bit so you possibly have had the chance to catch up with yourself. Holidays sometimes hit us like a tornado, and you enjoy them, but it gets crazy. I know for me I don’t always have time to reflect, think, or appreciate the people around me as much as I want to in the moment. I focus on what needs to get done or the event or the next thing. Hence this blog, I want to take a moment to reflect.
I want to take a little time to do a post holiday reflection about the people I have around me. I want to think about my family, friends, and the people that have been a part of the person I am today. If holidays are not an easy time for you, it may easy to think about the possible dysfunction of your family, or the sadness of a loss, or the hard relationships. But I want you to flip that on its head and find good in each person and situation as you think back. The people in our life all play a role in affecting life around us or the person we are. The blessings can be so so big. But also, the hard moments can be so tough. But each hard moment has the possibility to be a pivotal step towards growing or changing. It also has the potential to be an eye opening experience to see things differently.
So try to see each person in your life as a …
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